by James Q
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021Arizona Cardinals vs Cleveland Browns Previews and Picks 10/17/2021
Game Time: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 17th, 2021
Venue: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening MLB Odds at USA Sportsbooks
FanDuel: point spread: Browns -3: O/U 49.5 points
BetMGM: Browns -3; O/U 49.5 points
Caesars: Browns -2.5; O/U 49.5 points
Season Record
Browns: 3-2 (AFC North)
Cardinals: 5-0 (NFC West)
The 3-2 Browns are favored over the 5-0 Cardinals. The spread is less than a field goal at Caesars to a field goal on FanDuel. There should be real potential to cash in on these current betting odds. Ari and Cle should not be this close. The Cardinals players are being undervalued... They should not only win ATS, but should win outright.
Sean's STELLAR 48-26 NFL big ticket run continues with his 10* TNF Total of the Month for October featuring the Bucs vs. Eagles! Murph hasn't enjoyed the start to the season he was hoping for but he's still on an AWESOME 233-190 NFL tear and has BIG PLANS for this week; it all starts right here! Get Sean’s picks!!.... They are available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Cardinals vs Browns Preview and Analysis
Offensive Analysis
The Cardinals are ranked 6th in offense in the NFL scoring 31.4 points per game on 413.2 yards per game. Kyler Murray is 124-165 for a 75% completion rate for 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has been on the wrong side of 10 sacks.
The Browns are ranked 5th in offense in the NFL. They are scoring 28.4 points per game on 435.6 yards per game. They get more yards than the Cardinals but score a few less points. Baker Mayfield doesn’t have quite the passing stats as Kyler Murray. Baker is 97-145 for 66.9% completion, 4 TDs and 2 INT. He has been on the receiving end of 13 sacks…. So why is he (and the Browns) favored?... The running game. The Browns backfield picks up a lot of yardage and the vast majority of the touchdowns. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are the engine that drives Cleveland’s games.
Defensive Analysis
Arizona’s defense is ranked 13th. Giving up 19 ppg and 353.4 ypg. They have stand-outs like Budda Baker with his 36 tackles and Chandler Jones with his 5 sacks. They held the San Francisco 49ers to just 10 points last week…. Oh and they are a great big part of the five-game winning streak to open the season.
Cleveland’s defense is ranked 4th in the NFL. They give up 22.8 points (3 pts more than the Cards D) per game, but are ranked so highly for the stingy 298.8 yards per game. Myles Garrett is the heart and soul of the defensive unit with 21 tackles and 7 sacks. He is a beast!
The odd part of Cleveland being ranked higher for giving up fewer yards is…. Don’t they count up POINTS to determine the winner?
Cardinals vs Browns Prediction
Our prediction for Sunday, October 17th is… Cards 28 - Browns 17
Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NFL Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Cards/Browns preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.
NFL Betting Trends
The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS this season.
The Cardinals are 14-7 ATS as an underdog, the last 3 seasons.
The Cardinals are 12-6 ATS in road games, the last 3 seasons.
The Browns are 3-6 ATS in October the last 3 seasons.
The Browns are 1-8 ATS in weeks 5-9, the last 3 seasons.
Key Injuries
Cardinals: C Rodney Hudson (ribs) Out * DE Chandler Jones (quarantine) doubtful
Browns: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (throat) Probable
Starting Lineups
Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray, RB James Conner, WR DeAndre Hopkins, WR A.J. Green, WR Christian Kirk, TE Darrell Daniels, LT D.J. Humphries, LG Justin Pugh, C Rodney Hudson, RG Josh Jones, RT Kelvin Beachum
Browns: QB Baker Mayfield, RB Nick Chubb, WR Odell Beckham Jr, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR Rashard Higgins, TE Austin Hooper, LT Jedrick Wills JR, LG Joel Bitonio, C JC Tretter, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Jack Conklin
Statistical Leaders
Cardinals:
Passing Yards: Kyler Murray 1,512
Rushing Yards: Chase Edmonds 270
Receiving Yards: DeAndre Hopkins 312
Tackles: Jordan Hicks 36 AND Budda Baker 36
Interceptions: Byron Murphy 3
Browns:
Passing Yards: Baker Mayfield 1,240
Rushing Yards: Nick Chubb 523
Receiving Yards: David Njoku 260
Tackles: Myles Garrett 21
Interceptions: Malcolm Smith 1
Coaches:
Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury
Browns: Kevin Stefanski
Weather Forecast
Scattered showers. 60* for the high. Humidity 57%... wind up to 21 mph.
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
